Man Calls His $162,000 Tesla Model X a Lemon

ROSEVILLE, Calif. (CN) – A Californian’s new $162,000 Tesla whacks his and his wife’s legs with its automatic doors and its autopilot makes it veer across lanes in the rain, among other problems, the disconcerted driver says in court. Barrett Lyon says he liked the first two Teslas he bought, but not his new, black Model X. “The doors do some weird, wicked things,” Lyon said Tuesday in an interview. “If you get in and slide sideways and accidentally tap the brake, the driver’s side door slams shut on your leg. That’s not a very nice thing to have happen to you.” He said the doors also have slammed shut on his wife and flung open in their garage, damaging the doors and other property. He sued Tesla Motors on May 13 in Placer County Court, saying it’s been unable to fix the machine, so he wants a refund of its $161,970 purchase price. “Auto Pilot in the rain is extremely dangerous,” the lawsuit states. “It causes the car to swerve into different lanes.” There are other problems too, Lyon says in the complaint. “Powered front doors are opening into cars and other obstacles.” The power door slams are a feature of the Model X, and cannot be disabled. The touch screen freezes repeatedly, the “second row seat causes driver’s seat to fold forward,” and the auto park feature “does not work 90 percent of the time,” according to the complaint. Lyon said his two other Teslas — a handmade Roadster and an early edition Model S — that have not given him any trouble, but his new Model X has been a disappointment. “You buy a car like that, you expect it to work,” he said. “It’s become clear to me that the car wasn’t ready for consumers. The service center is completely unprepared for the kind of problems they’re having. “It’s a really pretty car,” Lyon said. “It’s parked. We don’t drive it. It’s basically a really fancy car decoration.” Tesla Motors did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Lyon wants his money and registration fee back, plus damages for breach of warranty and California Lemon Violations, and costs of suit. He is represented by Mark Anderson with Anderson, Ogilvie & Brewer in San Francisco.